It's Not "Mets afraid of Braves"...It's "Braves afraid of Mets"...

It's been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long since the Mets' were dominant, and we had to live in a world where not only did the Braves win the division 14 straight seasons ('91-'05), but TBS seemed to be broadcasting a Braves' game whenever I happened to flip the channels, regardless of time of day or night (okay, it only SEEMED that way, but you get the picture). However, last years' Mets' team broke their stranglehold, and dominated not only the division but the NL, up until Game 7 of the Championship Series (and the less said, the better!) This year, at a time when we should be the favorites, not only for the Division and the NL, but for the Series, we find many articles discussing a similar topic- why the Mets' should fear the Braves - while most pre-season prognisticators (as accurate as a bad weather-person) picked us anywhere from 2nd to 3rd in the division (!). Wait a minute here, folks....the METS won the Division last year, made some fine-tuning moves in the offseason, retooled their bullpen while overcoming major injuries (Sanchez, Padilla) and suspensions (Mota), and boast a minor league system laden with top prospects, regardless of what the so-called "experts" say. It is the Braves who have to catch the Mets', and it is the Braves who have to fear the Mets because, if they do not make it far into the post-season, this might be their last chance with both Smoltz and Andruw Jones becoming free agents after the season, Chipper Jones one year closer to closing a storybook career, and GM John Schuerholtz and Manager Bobby Cox also one year closer to packing it in. The Mets' remain confident, under the leadership of Willie Randoloh & Omar Minaya, and rightly so, and it's their division to lose- remember that, Braves' fans and members of the media, alike!